In the NBA, “All-Star” didn’t always mean what it does now. In 1963, there were just nine teams in the league but 24 spots in the All-Star Game, which meant every single franchise had multiple All-Stars. Overall, scoring was higher than it is today, and yet Tom Gola got a nod averaging 12.3 points and 4.1 assists.
Since then, the number of NBA teams has more than tripled to 30 teams. The number of All-Stars, however, remains the same.
Every year, and with good reason, there is unrelenting discourse about All-Star snubs. This year, 21 players failed to make the All-Star Game despite averaging 20 points per game—including 76ers’ James Harden, who is also leading the league in assists. Previously, the most players eclipsing that threshold without being named to the All-Star roster was 13, in 2008.
The All-Star Game roster size used to be malleable. When the league expanded from 14 to 17 teams for the 1970-71 season, it added two more spots for each conference to put the total at 28 for three seasons, before switching back to 24.
Then, in 1977, when the league was struggling financially, NBA owners reduced team roster sizes to 11 to avoid paying extra benchwarmers. Correspondingly, All-Star Game roster sizes shrunk to 11, rebounding to 12 along with actual roster sizes four seasons later.
The NBA has grown astronomically since, but while teams’ active rosters were expanded to a baker’s dozen in 2012, All-Star roster size stayed at 12.
Not only are there far more teams than in 1963, but those squads’ stars also shoulder more responsibility than ever before. This is apparent when looking at usage rate, the percentage of team possessions that result in a scoring attempt or a turnover by a player while he’s on the court. In 2003 and 2013, the average largest usage rate in an NBA lineup was 28.0% and 27.7%, respectively. In 2023, teams’ leading offensive engines are averaging a 30.5% usage rate, the highest ever.
Additionally, the sport’s talent pool is deeper than ever, most notably thanks to the influx of international players. Prior to 2000, just two Europeans—Detlef Schrempf and Rik Smits—played in an All-Star Game. The 2023 All-Star Game alone will feature five Europeans and three other players born outside the U.S.
There are reasons beyond fairness to add All-Star roster slots. Withholding invites from popular players can have a negative impact on fan engagement. For instance, Atlanta and Washington, whose teams might make the playoffs, are the seventh- and ninth-largest media markets in the U.S., respectively, but will have no representation in Sunday night's game.
Denver Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon, who is having a career year on the best team in the West, announced in January that he would participate in the slam dunk contest if chosen as an All-Star. Unfortunately, there wasn’t room for him in the game, and the dunk contest won’t see its all-time leader in 50-point dunks.
While it may be hard to generate sympathy for players in a league where the average annual salary is just shy of $10 million, there is often real money on the line. The Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and the New York Knicks’ Julius Randle each received bonuses of over $1 million for being selected as All-Star reserves, per Spotrac.
In the longer term, All-Star selections strongly influence player legacies. Those three seasons during which the rosters expanded to 14 on each side—1970-71 through 1972-73—featured more players who were eventually chosen for the NBA’s 75th anniversary team last year than any other seasons in NBA history. It is difficult to stack up current careers with those from an era when accolades were easier to come by.
The NBA has never been bigger, or more prosperous, or more blessed with elite, supremely talented athletes than it is now. It’s time the All-Star Game rosters reflected that.
